Taking the Plunge
by Lady Azura
Summary: Just this once, she wanted to follow her instincts and see where it led her. EClare. Oneshot.


Summary: _Just this once, she wanted to follow her instincts and see where it led her. EClare. Oneshot._

Disclaimer: Don't own _Degrassi_. 'Nuff said.

Author's Note: Alright, so this is my first _Degrassi_ fic. Admittedly, I missed the last two seasons (with a few exceptions) because of school, so I'm a little behind. I don't really have any desire to watch them, either, but I have been keeping up with season ten so far, and I absolutely love the characters. I especially love the chemistry between Clare and Eli, and after reading a few fics, I've decided to write one myself.

So, without further ado, enjoy!

X

**Taking the Plunge****  
**_**By: Lady Azura**_

X

Clare bit back a whimper as warm lips descended on the crook of her neck.

Her mind was frantic, but so unfocused that she couldn't even think straight. How did this happen? This wasn't like her at all. If someone had told her a month ago that she would end up in the back of a _hearse_, letting Eli Goldsworthy of all people kiss her breathless, she would've never believed them. And why would she? Girls like her didn't do this sort of thing. It was almost laughable, really. _Her_? Saint Clare? Pushing homework and sleep aside to sneak off with a boy who, based on his attire alone, would probably give her mother a heart attack?

And yet, here she was.

She was so confused. On one hand, Clare knew, somewhere in the back of her mind, that she wasn't supposed to like guys like Eli. She had never exactly been _told_ not to, but she knew that her parents wouldn't approve. He wore black all the time, and eyeliner, and used sharpie pens to paint his nails; he listened to screamo, and drove a _hearse_, and had probably never even stepped foot inside a church before. On the other hand, Eli was _very_ attractive. She was drawn to him in a different way than she was to K.C. Eli pushed her boundaries, and when she was with him, she felt… exhilarated.

He was sarcastic and blunt, but there was also something dark about him. Something dangerous, and mysterious, and those should've been her first signs to stay as far away from him as humanly possible because it practically spelled _trouble_ - but instead it intrigued her. He was like a puzzle that she was desperately trying to solve, but all of the important pieces were missing; pieces she needed to find and put together to know more about him. Eli could read her like an open book and knew what buttons to push to get the right reaction out of her; it was only fair that she should be able to do the same.

Clare could ignore and dismiss many things, but Eli knew how to get under her skin like no one else, not even Alli. It was mind boggling how _one_ boy could bring about such a rebellious streak in her. She would've never skipped class or screamed in public before. It was so _weird_, how much she had changed since meeting him, and she couldn't decide whether they were for better or worse. She had always put her faith above everything, but lately, she was having doubts.

She snapped back to reality when she felt the hand on her waist dip under her blouse and caress her stomach. She inhaled sharply and bit her lip, but didn't protest.

Was this a test? She'd never gone this far with K.C. What made Eli so different, apart from the obvious? Was he an obstacle that she had to overcome, or her soul mate? The latter made her laugh out loud, causing the boy in question to pause his ministrations to shoot her a weird look. Clare wanted to bury her face in her hands and disappear right then and there, but held his gaze instead.

After a few seconds, he gave a snort and shook his head, before resuming where he'd left off. He moved closer and pressed his lips against hers while her arms found their way around his neck, lacing her fingers through his hair. She felt him smile briefly and mentally gave herself a pat on the back.

It wasn't until his other hand ventured under her skirt that she panicked and broke the kiss, her eyes wide and her legs clenched together. "Wait!"

Her body mourned the loss of contact when Eli pulled away, dark hair dishevelled and face slightly flushed, but not nearly as much as her own. She imagined she probably resembled a tomato at this point.

Clare expected him to be annoyed, but instead he seemed concerned. Relief washed over her. At least he wasn't mad.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

She took a deep breath and tried to remember what it was she had to do, before holding up her hand. Her purity ring gleamed under the dim lights, and realization dawned on Eli's face.

"If we go any further…" she started, but he cut her off.

"I won't do anything you don't want." He promised.

She smiled weakly at him.

"Sorry… you must think I'm such a prude."

"Who, you? _Never_!" He gasped, feigning shock.

"If it's any consolation… it felt really good." She confessed, feeling her face heat up.

Eli smirked.

"Well, that's good. I'd be a little concerned if it didn't." He said, chuckling to himself. When he noticed her shifting around, he felt his upper lip curl. "I don't know whether to laugh or be honoured that you're this turned on."

Clare narrowed her eyes. "Don't make fun of me!"

Eli held his hands up in defense.

"Relax, I was just kidding." He assured her, and then scooted closer. "But you know… there are other ways to… what I mean is… you won't actually have to have sex."

"What, like masturbation?" She asked.

"… sort of."

Clare tilted her head to the side. "I'm not following…"

Eli fought the urge to throw his head back and laugh, but managed to stay relatively composed.

"You're so innocent, it's cute." He snickered, giving her a quick kiss on the lips before sliding down to his knees.

Clare furrowed her brow. "What are you doing?"

"Do you trust me?" He asked, searching her eyes.

She blinked confusedly, before nodding slowly.

"Yes."

Eli's smirk returned. She suddenly felt very nervous. Her brain screamed at her to leave, but just this once, she wanted to follow her instincts and see where they led her.

"What are you…?"

"You'll like this," he told her, nudging her thighs apart. "I promise."

Clare held her breath and let her head fall back against the seat, squeezing her eyes shut as she shook with anticipation.

Then, there was bliss.

X

She had long since lost track of time, but when she opened her eyes, she was still trembling in the afterglow of her first orgasm, and trying to catch her breath. Eli sat across from her with a cigarette in hand, the window behind him cracked open to let the smoke out, and looking as smug as could be. Clare blushed when he caught her eye and smirked knowingly.

Eventually, she found her voice.

"That was…"

Amazing. Wonderful. Incredible. Toe-curling. The list went on.

Eli's smirk grew.

"I told you you'd like it."

And like it she _did_.

"So… what now?" She asked, crossing her arms and leaning forward.

Eli shrugged and tossed the butt out the window.

"We wait as long as you want." He said, and gave her a genuine smile. "I really like you, Clare. I won't force you to do anything you're not comfortable with."

Clare grinned. "So… you're going to wait 'till marriage, I take it?"

Eli groaned and made a face.

"We might have to compromise. I'm only a man, after all." He reminded her, winking. "Though… Clare Goldsworthy has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

She couldn't blush any redder than she was now.

"You're unbelievable!" She cried incredulously.

"This, I won't deny." He replied. "But you still didn't answer my question."

Clare opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, she heard her phone go off. Flipping it open, her eyes widened.

"Eli!" She shrieked, whipping around to face him. "It's one in the morning!"

"So it is…" he murmured, sparing a bored glance at his own phone.

"We have school in seven hours!"

"No one goes to homeroom, anyway…"

"My mom is going to _kill_ me -"

"She doesn't even know you're gone."

"_Eli_…"

He sighed in exasperation and sat up.

"Alright, alright. _For you_." He said, climbing into the front of the hearse.

Clare gathered her purse and sweater, and followed suit, just as Eli started the car.

The drive back to her house was unusually quiet, mostly because exhaustion was finally kicking in, but it gave her time to process everything. When he pulled into her driveway, they sat still for a while, before Clare turned to look at him.

"Uh, so… thanks. I had fun." She said awkwardly, trying not to flush.

"Yeah, me too."

She was about to open the door when she felt his hand on hers. She glanced down, then back at his face.

"So… do you want to… go out with me this Saturday or something?" He asked, brows knitting together as if he was unsure. "Please?" 

Clare smiled and leaned over to steal a kiss.

"How's six-thirty?"

An overconfident smirk quickly replaced the uncertain frown.

"I'll be waiting."

Clare's smile widened, and she kissed him again before pulling back and exiting the hearse. She waited until Eli disappeared down the road, then snuck back into her house as quietly as possible. Her mother was asleep on the couch, just where she'd last seen her, and her father's shoes weren't by the door, which meant he hadn't come home that night. No one would know that she had ever been gone. A small part of her missed the days when her parents would notice something as simple as an untidy room, but now they were too stressed out to even check up on their youngest daughter every night, and with Darcy gone, the only person who she could confide in right now was the very boy who was turning her world upside down.

She felt drunk with excitement as she thought about what that weekend would bring, and as she tip-toed up the stairs and into her room, she thought more about how everything was suddenly changing. How her family was changing, how _she_ was changing… and she wondered if it was for the best.

Slipping into her pyjamas, Clare collapsed onto her bed and stared up at the ceiling for a bit, until she heard a familiar _buzz_ and took out her phone.

_**Sweet dreams, Blue Eyes. Don't stay up too late thinking about me ;)**_

A smile tugged at her lips, before she snapped it shut and closed her eyes.

X

FIN

X

**Oh God… I'm worried now. Did I butcher their characters? I hope I didn't. I feel like I started it great, but then it got gradually worse the more tired I became. But maybe that's just me. **

** Anyway, it was my first **_**Degrassi**_** fic, so please be kind.**

_**EDIT:**_** I had to go back and edit a few things, but it has come to my attention that a lot of people don't like the idea of Eli being a smoker. To be honest, it was just something I mentioned in passing, and I didn't think people would even notice. I'm not going to change it, though, at least not for this fic, but I'll be more careful next time. If it makes you guys feel any better, it can be just one of those "every once in a while" cigarettes. Hopefully, this clears things up a bit.**

** I hope you guys enjoyed.**

** Please ****REVIEW**** and tell me what you think! Constructive Criticism is always welcome.**


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